Pussy: Pussy 1969 (1993)

 

PUSSY were a Psychedelic Rock band with a rather risque name that invites all sorts of rude double

entendres, so no sniggering at the back. Their one and only album "Pussy Plays" (1969), featured a bizarre image on the cover of a startled pussy cat with VERY sharp claws. The band were formed in Hertfordshire, England in the mid-1960's and went through various name changes before apparently deciding on "Pussy" as the ideal name for a psychedelic sixties group, and why not. And so, without further ado, let's play Pussy.
                              

THE CREEPERS (PRE-PUSSY)

They formed in the mid-1960s in Hertfordshire, UK, by drummer Steve Townsend, singer Dek Boyce and bassist Jez Turner. Initially they were called The Creepers but when the psychedelic era came

along, they became We Shake Milk. Following an ad in Melody Maker guitarist Barry Clark and keyboardist Peter Whiteman were added to the line-up. It was through Barry Clark that his fellow ex-Fortes Mentum band-mate Danny Beckerman became involved with the band, in the capacity of producer, arranger, and songwriter. Later on, Barry Clark left and was briefly replaced by Gary Peters, before the band slowly disintegrated.
                          

BARRY CLARK

This late '60s UK psych with has a psychedelic and freaky, fuzz n' wah-wah guitar with swirling

STEVE TOWNSEND

keyboards and a classic '60s production loaded with all of the studio effects of the era. Pussy's Plays is undoubtedly also one of the most obscure and beautiful. Their line up has always been a mystery as they never revealed their identity. While Danny Beckerman continued to mastermind a series of pseudonymous releases from the Morgan console room, Steve Townsend, Dek Boyce and Jez Turner returned to the relative tranquility of Hertfordshire as the heart of a band called Twilly. In 2023  

 

Townsend released a comeback album with a new Pussy line-up, viz. Pussy - Pussy Plays..........Again.
                          

PUSSY - PUSSY 1969 (THE ALBUM)

                        

There's an air of mystery surrounding "Come Back June". It's a typical American west coast Psychedelic Rock song (from England) but who or what is June? Is it the month of June or is it a lady of the female agenda? Well, let's find out by delving into the lyrics:- "My world's breakin' in pieces, My

world's breakin' in two, My heart's breakin' in pieces, My heart's breakin' in two, Come back, June." ..... Mystery solved. The song is a boulevard of broken dreams where the lovelorn singer is clearly going through some deep emotional turmoil here after being dumped by his lovely lady June. Some of the best songs are written as the result of broken relationships though, and that's certainly true with this song too. It's no lilting ballad though. It's a rousing, rip-roaring opening burst of psychedelic sixties Rock.
                             

STEVE TOWNSEND

There's another great song on the way with "All of My Life". You can wait all of your life for a great song like this to come along, and then they all arrive together at once on one awesome album, and that's

proving to be the case here. "All of My Life" is like a gorgeous summer breeze. It's a song that's perfect for surfing the soaring California breakers at Big Sur, although you don't see too many surf boards in the heart of Hertfordshire, England, where this particular band hails from. We're continuing the sunny California theme now with "We Built The Sun". This is an altogether mellower groove, and not the psychedelic purple haze of the first two opening sunbursts of raw solar energy.
                    

BARRY CLARK

Side Two opens magnificently with "Tragedy In F Minor", which is no tragedy at all, but an absolutely

sensational instrumental that's simply sublime. It's a lavishly-produced lush symphonic epic that's positively awash with sensational strings, creating a rich tapestry of sound, guaranteed to carry you away on an ecstatic pleasure wave of sweet blissful dreams. We have lift-off! Just when you think this album couldn't possibly get any better, along comes "The Open Ground" to astound and delight us in equal measure. This is a psychedelic supernova of truly epic proportions!
                            

JEZ TURNER (POST - PUSSY)

Heavens above! This earth-shattering blast from the past has enough stored energy to lift the Space Shuttle up into orbit way above the Earth. This tremendous spacey music might even take you to the

STEVE TOWSEND

Dark Side of the Moon and back again, long before Pink Floyd travelled there with their stellar 1973 album. We're plunging back down to Earth now for "Everybody's Song", a storming psychedelic Jazz-Rock number where the dynamic keyboard player and wild wah-wah guitarist battle it out together to see who's the greatest musician of them all.
(By Psychedelic Paul)

Pussy Interview: It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine
                          

Pussy – Pussy
Pussy - Pussy album cover
Label: Background – HBG 123/5
Series: Background Series
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1993
Country: UK
Released: 1969
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                                     

01. Come Back June    3:59
02. All Of My Life    4:08
03. We Built The Sun    5:00
04. Comets    4:16
05. Tragedy In F. Minor    5:02
06. The Open Ground    3:35
07. Everybody's Song    4:20
08.  G. E. A. B.    5:28

LINE - UP

Bass – Jez Turner
Drums – Steve Townsend
Keyboards, mellotron – Peter Whiteman
Lead Guitar – Barry Clark
Lead Vocals – Dek Boyce
Guitar - Gary Reters

NOTES

Originally released in 1969 under the title "Pussy Plays".
Written By: Clark (tracks: 3, 6 to 8),
Beckerman (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 8),
Townsend (tracks: 6)

This timeless psychedelic relic is a supersonic blast from the past. The album is an absolute masterpiece that sounds as fresh and original as it ever did, over half a century on from when Pussy first played. This outstanding album is the cat's whiskers!

This album is dedicated to Jimi Riley who reminded me of it.

Flac Size: 380 MB